Annery

Was there ever a more romantic guy that Emery Hazard? John-Henry's Valentine dinner in [b:Transactional Dynamics 50610608 Transactional Dynamics (Hazard and Somerset A Union of Swords, #3) Gregory Ashe https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579575261l/50610608.SY75.jpg 75607385] was pretty awesome but this?

**REREAD/RELISTEN 9/2/21 – 9/4/21 **Nothing to add to my original review but that I once again went in deeper with the relationship & characters. The story was, as usual, ingenious and cleverly sets up the overarching theme & case for this arc in the H&S universe. I double loved it. Again. FIRST READ 8/3/20 – 8/4/20There are things, places, people, food etc that, without having tried you know will be for you. When I started seeing the Hazard & Somers series pop up on my feed I got that feeling, without having read anything but a cursory glance at the blurb(s), that it was my brand of good. I was right. The first arc was all about (besides the individual mysteries and the overarching one) two very different people coming together despite the odds: a shared fraught history, individual experiences, self-doubt, and a town (representative of society at large) laced with abhorrent & venal people. Their connection is undeniable. The ride was like the best rollercoasters, scary & exhilarating. So what does [a:Gregory Ashe 1179529 Gregory Ashe https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1561907752p2/1179529.jpg] do for a follow up? Going by this first installment of A Union of Swords, a gloves off examination of the real work of relationship building once the ‘I Love You's' have been exchanged, after the curtain drops, and HEA is all but certain. Brilliant.As in the previous arc we get one case and the groundwork for the overarching one. They're both fine but being honest I'm not here for that. I'm here for Hazard's brilliant mind, which somehow makes him blind to his own appeal, his thoughts & opinions, not always flattering, and oft times expressed out loud, about people, humanity, and situations. I'm here for John-Henry, so sure of everything, of his place in the world but flailing like a fish out of water when it comes to Emery. I love everything about them. I could read scenes of them just lounging at home reading the paper (Emery) and having ice cream for breakfast (John-Henry) and I'd be happy. They've crossed over onto my shortlist of fictional characters I'm sure I may encounter on any given day, maybe at the market or just walking down the street, Emery would of course be aloof and John-Henry would gift me with a smile. One can dream. Be glad GA doesn't ask me for writing advice. Instead he continues the deepening characterization of the town of Wahredua, Wroxall's academic community, their counterparts, The Ozark Volunteers, and more importantly the relationship between Hazard & Somers. Emery struggling to redefine himself after the events in [b:Criminal Past 44646156 Criminal Past Gregory Ashe https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553743587l/44646156.SY75.jpg 64217590], and Somers trying to be supportive without really knowing how. My favorite parts where the small, domestic, intimate scenes: Hazard holding Somer's hand in the park, almost in wonder, because he has to, the banter over what books Emery has on his nightstand, and his ‘disdain' over the fact that John reads novels, or Hazard explaining what it feels like to love someone so completely: “Like I'm not jus me anymore. Like I'm all tied up with him, and sometimes, being tied up with him is the only thing holding me together, holding me in place.”or John's more practical reaction:HAZARD: “John, did you hear what I said? I need you. I am totally, inconceivably fucking dependent on you. Sometimes I need you so much that it feels like I'm being ripped apart inside.”SOMERSET: “Yeah, dummy. It's called being in love.” He rolled a finger, the come on motion. “I love you too. Now, let's go.”The new additions to the cast, like Dulac (holding judgement) and seeing more of Rebeca, Noah, a their brood is all very welcome. Color me thrilled. ps. I paired the paperback with the AB by [a:Tristan James 14756687 Tristan James https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] because I had it and he's grown on me. Women still elude him, his voice just isn't fit for that. Can't win them all.

I was reorganizing my bookshelves, as you do, and I found this, part of last year's GRL loot. Signed by the author. Sweet. The story is also a sweet, thou not saccharine, tale of two single dads brought together by their kids and a dating site.

I liked Clark & Bailey, Sydney & Todd, Bernadette & Snickers too and I would be game to read more about them.

I had a dozen candles lit, praying to gods I don't believe in, hoping this turned out to be a MFM, MMF, FMM or any permutation thereof .. alas it was not meant to be sigh. Overall I enjoyed this story and [a:Ava Erickson 15272537 Ava Erickson https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] delivers a brilliant narration. I do think that your level of satisfaction on the outcome will be contingent on your age. I expected it while hoping for the other.

BR with ARODonovan Cooper is tall, handsome, and professionally successful. He's also miserable, angry all the time, and his marriage has imploded. These things are not unrelated. Sam Shelby is beautiful, an eccentric dresser, and a graphic designer wunderkind. He's also lugging around some family baggage. These two forces collide at Stoker & Steele, an advertising agency in Cleveland, and sparks fly. Donovan is Sam's boss and to all appearances the two go together like oil and vinegar, not an unfair assessment, but they also bring out the best in each other. I'm delighted to say that this book by [a:Sara Dobie Bauer 7226363 Sara Dobie Bauer https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1594654164p2/7226363.jpg] brings me back to the level of enjoyment I had with [b:We Still Live 49100382 We Still Live Sara Dobie Bauer https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575536480l/49100382.SY75.jpg 73672624]. Maybe I enjoy her Ohio set stories better? Dunno. Last year I read what I now know are the first few chapters of this in the [b:Come Play: An Erotica Charity Anthology 46024897 Come Play An Erotica Charity Anthology Quin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558966752l/46024897.SY75.jpg 69870229] and I liked it very much. My complaint was that it just stopped and here is the full, satisfying story. There is age gap, first time gay (Donovan), and some kink, (the domineering kind), but these things are almost incidental to the development of the relationship between the MC. Make no mistake, the sex scenes are scorching and reading how creative Donovan gets with Sam shouldn't be done in public. But what I liked most was how SDB explored the reasons for Donovan's perpetual bad mood and Sam's NO DATING policy. I loved that, despite everything, Donovan didn't deceive himself or make a big production about his attraction for Sam. I loved that though he enjoys submitting in the bedroom Sam doesn't let Donovan get away with anything outside the bedroom. He's very clear on a demarcation between what he wants in his sexual relationship and who he is as a man in the world. I was thrilled to see actual bi representation with both MC. I loved that Donovan's ex, though flawed, isn't portrayed as a villainess, just human. I really enjoyed the sense of humor, Sam and Donovan's inner monologues particularly, but also Zen (her trippy self) and Monica who translates Donovan to his colleagues. I liked how these people were grounded in authenticity. In a former life I worked in advertising and IMO the author perfectly captured that world. I particularly enjoyed the art aspect, how the MC related to it, how it informed their lives. I can also say that this is perhaps one of my favorite covers ever. Not only because I find it beautiful but because it perfectly captures the story between the covers and speaks to its sensibilities. If I must have niggles I'll say that ... nah. Nothing. Nothing worth complaining about in a romance that otherwise made me happy with smart characters and a love story I can believe without having to squint even once. more on the blog

Reading about a devastating plague while living in another might seem counterintuitive and I admit it wasn't exactly easy but I'm glad I did. [a:David France 198876 David France https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] can turn dry scientific talk riveting and I got some help from [a:Rory O'Malley 7080537 Rory O'Malley https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] who had me ugly crying on more than one occasion. Sometimes I felt like my heart was in a vise, I got ragey and impotent over bureaucratic incompetence, one that not only hasn't changed but has perhaps gotten worse, and had a couple of bitter laughs noticing many of the same actors that are still on the scene. The most prominent is perhaps Dr. Fauci who doesn't precisely come off smelling of roses, proof that if you hang on long enough time can iron out even the most stubborn wrinkles. All things considered this is an uplifting read in the sense that it shows how determined, persistent, and organized smart people can bring about change. The PWA (People With Aids), ACT-UP, and later TAG got knocked down innumerable times, lost more members of their community than could be properly be mourned, and yet continued what must have seemed a Sisyphean effort to save their lives. All of this in the Ginger Rogers role, doing everything Fred Astaire did but backwards and in high heels by which I mean living with naked, accepted, active, ugly, brutal homophobia not only from society but from our government, established religion and their own families while dying. No proper diagnosis, ignorant of the cause, without any effective treatment or hope and, in most cases, getting little sympathy or adequate care from the medical community. The names of Mark Harrington, Peter Staley, David Barr, Garance Franke-Ruta, Bill Bahlman, Gregg Gonsalves, Larry Kramer and so many others need to be engraved in our collective memories. However IMO, and the author agrees, two invaluable and perhaps unsung pioneers were Michael Callen and Richard Berkowitz. Neither of them, very young men at the time, had any science or medical background but once they were diagnosed, early on in the Plague Years, and having been brought together by a beneficent fate got to work trying to find a way of keeping love and intimacy in male gay relationships. As Callen observed: “AIDS casts its shadow over gayness itself,” he said. “Loving another man is seen by many as an act of madness. Gay men are viewed as the Flying Wallendas of the eighties, performing death-defying high-wire acts merely by loving, while the ‘general population' below turns away in horror.” It's almost no surprise that Callen, a tender musician with a high falsetto, and Berkowitz, “a Jewish boy from New Jersey who spoke to his mother every day, was a professional sex worker.” who went by the professional name of Vinnie in his specialty as a Master within the BDSM community, were the ones to come up with a SAFE SEX MANUAL or guidance. The language of BDSM and music are precise & mathematical and won't steer you wrong. And then there's this quote from Watkins, one of the NIH directors about the situation: “We're not ready for this disease. This country is simply not ready for an emergency medical epidemic of this type, and we have to do better because we don't know what the next mutation [of the virus] is going to be.” This was late 1980s early 1990s!!! We've learned nothing. There's a companion documentary also directed by the author but it centers on the fight with Big Pharma, the NIH, NIAID, FDA, and the U.S.Government so Callen & Berkowitz don't appear as that wasn't what they focused on. I'd still recommend it.

3.5
This was a surprisingly sweet read for a short story that's basically smex.

Henry is a sweet young thang who by the happy accident of losing his house keys meets Ryan, his older, hot neighbor from down the hall. Henry is a gay virging wanting to try out his wings. Ryan is not only a leather Daddy, he owns THE leather bar in town and is more than eager for a new pupil. Ryan takes to the scene like a duck to water. It was all very adorable and I was glad that though there was affection there were no love declarations. Follow-up stories with these two would be welcome. I liked them very much.

I'd read this eons ago and just stumbled on the audio. I'm so happy I did. [a:Judith Ivory 130347 Judith Ivory https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1264390318p2/130347.jpg] a.k.a. [a:Judy Cuevas 14425377 Judy Cuevas https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] wrote just a handful of books but among them are some brilliant classics. IMO this is one of them. In [b:Beast 13550871 Beast Judith Ivory https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1332034516l/13550871.SX50.jpg 1350944], using a template between Beauty & The Beast and Cyrano, she weaves the story of the courtship and subsequent marriage between Louise, a strikingly beautiful 18 y.o. American heiress (from Miami no less) and Charles. He's a successful perfumer, a minor French aristocrat, and over 35 y.o. He also has some physical ‘deformities'. The year is 1902 and the characters behave & speak like people from from their time, age, and upbringing. I appreciate that. The socio-sexual mores of 1902 are not those of 2020 but even so these two are people I'd be happy to know IRL and I can imagine that they probably would run in the same circle as the Saint Vallier brothers from [b:Bliss 1068546 Bliss (de Saint Vallier Brothers, #1) Judy Cuevas https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1340990963l/1068546.SY75.jpg 1055209] and [b:Dance 1068548 Dance (de Saint Vallier Brothers, #2) Judy Cuevas https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1340990682l/1068548.SY75.jpg 1055211].The audio is by [a:Barbara Rosenblat 12492 Barbara Rosenblat https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332211833p2/12492.jpg] and it's brilliant.

3.5Hmm ... ? If you want a well written tale about one man's descent or ascent? to homelessness (or home-free as one of the characters calls it), ‘entanglement' with two hygiene challenged youths, the shedding of every aspect of his previous life (including his heterosexuality), to the point of becoming, in a matter of days, their bottom bitch, willing participant in a gang bang with equally clean gutterpunks, ending in hopeful, if perhaps naive & improbable HFN this will satisfy. [a:Thomas Carver 10289466 Thomas Carver https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] can write like nobody's business but I have no fondness for dirty (as in unwashed bodies) intimacy and knowing that the reality of homelessness, particularly for young people, is much harsher than the one portrayed in the story this wasn't quite for me but I can see it working for others, particularly male readers who are perhaps not as invested in the romance aspect and I'd still recommend it as I love reading MM written from a male perspective.

Lately I've been finding excellent reads in the most unexpected of places, my own library. Who knew? This is a lovely story of two young Englishmen who meet and recognize their person in the other and become a couple, one in with decided D/s dynamics. The year is 1912 and being together isn't much of a problem being as they form part of the nascent RAF. What can tear them apart is the coming war. If you know anything about WWI, [b:Parade's End 777824 Parade's End Ford Madox Ford https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1450231478l/777824.SY75.jpg 2244425] is a good primer, you'll know that it wasn't a cake walk. That this author managed to encompass the span of Freddy & Hughe's relationship (including the BDSM aspect), a bit of RAF history, and some social commentary that wasn't dismal in a few economical pages just floored me. I love how irrespective of what modern readers might think or want he renders the voices of the characters true to nationality, class, and time period, while keeping the story utterly romantic without ever even tiptoeing into sentiment or sap. I loved it. Why not 5 stars? My greedy self wanted more but there's no hope of that. Sigh.

2.5
This was a short from the Love Has No Boundaries promo which means it was free.
Jerome is a SUPER grumpy iron worker who, years later, is still mourning the death of his boy/husband after Hurricane Katrina. Jason is a ‘boy' sent by Master Sampson to help Jerome with his work and hopefully more. As a premise, the McGrump & the sweet boy is appealing for me but this had one too many issues, soap opera style issues, Mercy Celeste type issues, and this was a short.
Jerome has Dallas/Dynasty calibre of drama, each more unbelievable than the next and he kind of crosses the line from grump to a**hole with Jason. Jason is hot, gorgeous, willing to work under grueling heat for a guy who doesn't even want him there. He's abandoned a career in law, run away to some kind of BDSM camp that churns out ‘boys' and is now doing unpaid physical labor in the Louisiana heat. If I had gone into reading slave fiction I would've been more on-board. Other annoyances were the vernacular rendering of speech for Marie and Ant, a mother & son restaurantuers who are clearly black. There's no need for it. It's distracting. Then there was requisite straight girlfriend, in this case Jason's cousin Ana, who feel free to randomly and inappropriately comment on people's sex lives. I've never been a fan of these friends in fiction or in RL. And did I mention that Jason's surname is Corleone. Yep. Jason Corleone.

I know it seems too much of a review to hang on a free short but ... that's where the chips fell. I did like that Jason and Jerome were manly men who were attracted to manly men: hairy, smelly, sweaty etc. This was clearly written by a man using men he knows and are attractive to him as templates. I wish the story had dialed down the drama. The bones for a good story were here.

[I've been going through shorts that have lived in back corners of my reader but have been in poor mood to review or even update my my GR feed so the read dates will be random.]

4.5When I listened to [b:Where the Blame Lies 52320637 Where the Blame Lies (Where, #1) Mia Sheridan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566565327l/52320637.SX50_SY75.jpg 73038439] I had no idea of a sequel but I'm glad there was especially as [a:Teddy Hamilton 15007880 Teddy Hamilton https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] and [a:Callie Dalton 7438028 Callie Dalton https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1541784504p2/7438028.jpg] perform their magic once again. The bulk of the story takes place some twenty (20) years after the events in the previous book. Reed Davies, Josie's son, is now a detective too, his way of trying to right the wrong of his conception. Elizabeth ‘Liza' Nolan has survived a harrowing childhood and is making herself anew. A series of connected murders bring them together and [a:Mia Sheridan 6994378 Mia Sheridan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1367881726p2/6994378.jpg] uses this template to explore the scars of deep trauma. I loved that part. I liked that the romance part developed slowly, justifiably so, that the author didn't skip steps in Liza's journey of recovery, and that Reed continually questions himself, his past, his motivations etc. He's a good man. The way the relationship developed between the H and h, the progress of the actual investigation, Reed's bond with Josie & Zach, and most of all the goodness that is Dt. Ransom are my favorite things. The things that worked a bit less well for me are my usual complaints with thrillers/mysteries: omnipotent and omniscient villains and a final confrontation where the villain explains themselves and their reasons. Another niggle was though Liza is now a psychologist IMO she doesn't seem to have a good enough grasp on her own mental health to be poking around with other people's psyches. I'm sure it happens but at the very least she should have her own therapist, psychologists & psychiatrists regularly do. Scars as deep as hers aren't for the self-help category. What I would love to read? A book about Charles Cooper Hartsman. He's undoubtedly a villain but also the most interesting person in this series. Recommended.

My main draw was [a:Teddy Hamilton 15007880 Teddy Hamilton https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] and he delivers on all fronts. [a:Malcolm Young 1059878 Malcolm Young https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] was a welcome surprise, I look forward to more from this narrator. Also it seems like this is only available as an AB. Is that possible? Hmm ... In any case [a:Sydney Smyth 18606199 Sydney Smyth https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] a NTM author delivers a good, slow burn, getting to know you, character driven romance. I liked it so much that I just realized there's only one smex scene, which happens off page and only referenced by one of the characters. I didn't miss having any more. The story is all about Harrison and Henry getting to know each other in a real way and it's done beautifully. Their friends and family are sweet icing on this cake of goodness. If you want some sunshine during our gloomy days I heartily recommend this.

Two sweet novellas about the Nelson brothers who come from upstate NY to the City to find themselves and love finds them.

A Way with Words is about Tony & Remy. Tony is a member a large extended Italian family, which forms the nucleus of his work and social circle. One day he spots Remy busking in the park across from his current construction site and that's all she wrote. The love between Tony & Remy is palpable and believable. I love that this wasn't a GFY story. Remy is definitely out and Tony has known his whole life he's gay he just hasn't had the courage or incentive to come out to his family. Falling in love with Remy fixes that.

A Way With You After a failed relationship in his hometown Reeve Nelson, Remy's brother, come to NYC to make it in the cutthroat world of high end real estate. But sometimes what you think you want turns out not to be what you really want or what you need. And having Leo Rodrigues as your boss is also a wrench in well laid plans. I loved that Reeve was no pushover and that once he and Leo got together their communication was pretty open save one or two missteps which were corrected pretty quickly. I would've liked a little more about Leo but these stories are about the Nelson brothers and they're both adorable & good people.

This was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. How did I come to read it? I was checking the new ads on Audible Escape, I've read and liked [a:Mia Sheridan 6994378 Mia Sheridan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1367881726p2/6994378.jpg] before, saw that this was performed by [a:Teddy Hamilton 15007880 Teddy Hamilton https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] and [a:Callie Dalton 7438028 Callie Dalton https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1541784504p2/7438028.jpg] and it was a no-brainer. I immediately added it, queued it up, and I'm so happy I did.The blurb does a good job of summarizing the plot and sadly it's one that we've all seen some version of in the news. What really drew me in was [a:Mia Sheridan 6994378 Mia Sheridan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1367881726p2/6994378.jpg]'s deftness and almost light touch in telling a story that can be super heavy without trivializing the horror experienced by victims of such heinous crimes. I also loved how the relationship between the H/h developed in a plausible way which necessarily means that it's a slow burn with the mystery/suspense taking center stage for a good portion of the story. It's very well done. The characters themselves were relatable and likable, Zach being a bit of an ideal but not unbelievable MC, whereas Josie is as human absolutely human, warts and all. I liked that. I also liked the supporting cast and love, love, love Jimmy, but perhaps my favorite was the villain. I confess to being surprised by their identity but also kind of liked them and was maybe even rooting for a monstrous person. Yikes. Anyhoo ... I just noticed there's a sequel to this and I'll be checking it out.

This is being marketed as a close kin to [b:Call Me by Your Name 10706388 Call Me by Your Name André Aciman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1515781839l/10706388.SX50.jpg 1363157] and in a sense it is. However where [a:André Aciman 2922229 André Aciman https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1262677849p2/2922229.jpg]'s story was sweet and almost ethereal like a perfect summer pop song or a lemon gelato [b:Swimming in the Dark 45169231 Swimming in the Dark Tomasz Jedrowski https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582771710l/45169231.SY75.jpg 69872587] will leave teeth marks and possibly scars. It should.The blurb does a good job of summarizing the story so I won't rehash it. What mesmerized me was [a:Tomasz Jedrowski 19076173 Tomasz Jedrowski https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1578253527p2/19076173.jpg]'s lyrical style, his use of language which is at once poetic and cutting like a knife. Ludwik's journey of self discovery in the course of an idyllic summer, the rude return to the reality of life in 1980 Poland, and his disappointment in the face of Janusz's pragmatism is heart wrenching. I felt his loneliness, his sense of otherness in his own country for being gay, for not believing in a political system that's rotting from the inside. So good. ps. This isn't a romance.

It's always interesting revisiting classics, books we've read in our younger incarnations. Our new perception of them reminds us of how we've changed, how classics are classics for a reason, they don't remain static, they speak to every era even when the mores and language have changed. Listening to [a:Rosamund Pike 4244528 Rosamund Pike https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png]'s most excellent narration was the perfect way to go back to [a:Jane Austen 1265 Jane Austen https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1588941810p2/1265.jpg]'s first published novel. Finding Marianne annoying wasn't a surprise, she's a self-involved teen after all, it's expected, what was clear to me was the resemblance between the Dashwood sisters and the Schlegel sisters, Margaret & Helen, from [b:Howards End 38374795 Howards End E.M. Forster https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1518837828l/38374795.SX50.jpg 1902726]. I'm sure they were more than a template for [a:E.M. Forster 86404 E.M. Forster https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1402057803p2/86404.jpg]. Also Emma Thompson being in movie adaptations of both isn't a coincidence.

And we're back! Phew ... big sigh of relief Bk. 6 was a bit of a bust but we're back with baby! Chip and Jai are two adults who behave like adults. When a one-night stand bleeds into something more they don't run from it. They embrace it and actively try to make it work: setting up long weekend visits, talking about their likes and dislikes. Grown-ups behaving like shouldn't be such a miracle and yet it is. Happy Surprise!!! Chip and Jai are excellent together and I loved every aspect of them. As a plus we got a bit of Kieran and his a glimpse of his relationship with Henley, who he now calls husband. Thanks [a:Charity Parkerson 4506281 Charity Parkerson https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1519415903p2/4506281.jpg] and [a:Hollie Jackson 16979649 Hollie Jackson https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1514809812p2/16979649.jpg] for bringing it back around.

2.5
Well ... these seem to be going down the path of diminishing returns. I've kept going because I like a good AB, that hasn't failed, and they're available on Audible Escape so ... technically free?

Noah and Troy have been friends since high school; that friendship evolved into a bf with benefits on the side, though Troy had always wished for more. The problem? Noah was signed as a hockey player and is justifiably concerned what with the consequences of coming out. These two are young and as you'd expect they don't handle things well. For a romance reader this can be super annoying. They engage in drama of the not talking variety. Major tragedy strikes they get their act together at lighting speed. I agree that those wake up calls can get us going faster that anything but it's all just too pat and some BIG losses are swept under the rug. Maybe the novella length that doesn't allow for true development of the story which is very disappointing .

“Yes. It's true. We're lost. We're in a boat on the wild ocean. The seas are high, and there is no compass. We're fucked. Blind. Ignorant. The night bewildering and there is no dawn. We are outside latitude or longitude or maps. No land, no dead reckoning, no horizon. Fucked in spades. In this cabin of stale air, with asthmatics, fellow fools before the mast, who knows no shanties but who cough nocturnes for me. But they're more doomed than me. I'm ok, really, for I'm not with them. I am not a boy or a man, rather I am a cow, or a black buffalo, or a bird, or a tiny caterpillar crawling under the door. I am, that is, until one of the others wheezes or says something and I'm back again, a haunted passenger, seasick, lost, fucked.”If you're in the mood for some gorgeous, hard boiled, Irish style noir [a:Adrian McKinty|12433|Adrian McKinty|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1584967497p2/12433.jpg] is your man. The year is 1992 and young Michael Forsythe has left the Troubles in Belfast for a host of new ones in New York. He's a bit of muscle and jack of all trades to Darkey White, a local Irish mobster. Things are going as well as they can until they don't. It's a tale that's been told before but the difference here is that the whole story is from Michael's POV and we're in his head: funny, sarcastic, smart, sometimes morbid, lyrical without being syrupy. I loved it. The other thing that warmed my heart was the pitch perfect depiction of New York at that time. Flawless.

Hmmm ... You know that dish where you follow all the ingredients in the recipe but it doesn't come out as expected? That was this.

Periodically I dip into Audible Escape (the AB version of KU) particularly for short listens that carry me through commutes or a work day. This series has been great for that but this installment was less than the sum of it's parts.

Continuing with tradition the MC are characters we've met in previous installments. Orlando was Gannon's stalker and Andrei the hulking Russian hockey player tasked with protecting Gannon. Following the flow of this series it was expected that Orlando and Andrei would become an item and it should work but somehow falls short. Andrei is a damaged man, who escaped his father's torture in Russia and has made a life for himself in hockey and America. Orlando carries guilt over his brother's life and what he could've done differently to help him. Fate throws him together and they do their thing but ... I fell short of really believing it. Still I enjoyed the AB, no one was hurt, we get a visit with Alex & Gannon, Kieran (who I find to be the most compelling character in the series) and an intro to future MC in the series.

Gannon is Kieran's younger brother from [b:Thrash 26238241 Thrash (Hard Hit, #3) Charity Parkerson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442329927l/26238241.SY75.jpg 46229493]. He's been physically and emotionally damaged by a previous relationship with an obsessive ex. Alex is the obsessive lunatic who stalked and generally made life miserable for Ryker in [b:Blow 26001480 Blow (Hard Hit, #2) Charity Parkerson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441558334l/26001480.SY75.jpg 45786873]. The two meet, (Kieran is Alex's agent) and it's a match made in heaven. Gannon wants to feel protected and owned, but in control. Alex is happy to oblige. If you're in [a:Charity Parkerson 4506281 Charity Parkerson https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1519415903p2/4506281.jpg]'s world you're all in with insta-love, and blinding beauty. I'm okay with that. I'm not reading hockey adjacent MM stories for veracity. In fact my main draw to this series is the audio by [a:Hollie Jackson 16979649 Hollie Jackson https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1514809812p2/16979649.jpg]. An MM written by a woman, narrated by a woman, for a mostly female audience doesn't bother me. I think HJ does a fantastic job at doing male voices and creates distinctive ones for each character. Alex & Gannon embrace their bliss, their roles aren't what you would expect, we get some time with previous characters, and a bit of closure. Color me happy. ps. I won't add this to any of my sports shelves as the hockey connection is really tangential. Not a complaint. Just a fact.

my continuing saga of postponing reviews. so hard! why do I do it?I picked this up in the wake of the passing of the great [a:Kenneth Obi 17596815 Kenneth Obi https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], to honor his memory, and I'm glad I did. He delivers his usual fantastic narration and the story, which was all a surprise for me, tickled me pink. The story flirts with taboo but it's not really and I was glad for it.Joel is a lonely boy who, discarded by his awful parents, has made a life for himself but has had zero luck in the romance/relationship department. Turns out that maybe his unlucky-in-love status isn't just fate. He has Gabriel, a guardian angel or a Big Bad Wolf who watches over Joel and may just want to keep him. And Joel might just like it. I really liked these two. I loved that [a:Kate Hawthorne 17636987 Kate Hawthorne https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1558978275p2/17636987.jpg] went beyond the quasi bad/wrong hotness, which IS scorching, to depict well rounded characters, with back stories, and plausible motivations for what they do and feel. I'll definitely go on with this series. R.I.P. [a:Kenneth Obi 17596815 Kenneth Obi https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]

Mal & Sawyer from [b:The Darkest Flame 25800383 The Darkest Flame (Roadmap to Your Heart #1) Christina Lee https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1437050652l/25800383.SY75.jpg 45653738]. Short story: I loved it! Full review when the I listen to the AB which will be out soon.read 6/4 - 6/5**listen 7/1 - 7/1 **Yay!!! The audio by [a:Tristan James 14756687 Tristan James https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and [a:Iggy Toma 13543759 Iggy Toma https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] was everything I hoped for. This is a short novella that comes directly after the events in [b:The Darkest Flame 25800383 The Darkest Flame (Roadmap to Your Heart #1) Christina Lee https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1437050652l/25800383.SY75.jpg 45653738]. Mal and Sawyer are two characters that play important roles in Vaughn & Smoke's story and they just leaped off the page needing their own story. Sawyer is a mechanic who in a bid to get his patch helps his club way and beyond what one would expect. He's just looking for a place to belong. Mal is a natural caretaker and when he notices the toll Sawyer is paying steps right in with a shoulder to help carry the weight. I loved how the relationship evolved, how it all seemed logical, even organic, how patient Sawyer was with what Mal was able to give and how in the end it paid up nicely. Mostly I liked that although romance novels like this one, MM set in an MC world, are perforce a bit of wishful thinking the author kept the characters pretty realistic. They're not unicorns & rainbows kind of men (no shade the rainbow crowd) and other than falling, sliding, and tumbling down love with another man they still have grease under their nails. Enjoy!!!!

It's like a curse! I read this book some years ago, at the beginning of my MM career and somehow didn't mark it as read or reviewed. Bad reader. Now that it came out on audio I gave it another go and have dawdled on posting. What's wrong with me? Anyway ...MC romances, whether MF or MM, are not among my favorites because RL but [a:Christina Lee 297473 Christina Lee https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] does a fantastic job of showing how two bisexual, blue collar guys can realistically become smitten and fall in love. It's scary. No doubt about it. And yet they're each other's safe port. Vaughn owns the Hog's Den, a bar that is the quasi official clubhouse for the Disciples, an MC whose president Malachi “Mal” is looking to go legit in their business ventures. Smoke is one of Mal's rescues. Together Vaughn & Smoke are incendiary. I loved these two!I liked that the author didn't downplay the realities of an openly gay relationship in the MC community but she also gave them/us hope and a credible HEA. She gives us a couple we want to root for and I for one wanted wrap Smoke in a gauze blanket and hug him tight, which I'm sure he'd hate. He deserves some love and Vaughn is here for that. Vaughn's also the proud papa of two cat babies and for me that was all she wrote. swoon The icing on this goodness is the new AB by [a:Tristan James 14756687 Tristan James https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and [a:Iggy Toma 13543759 Iggy Toma https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. It's a dual P.O.V. narration and I would've been happy with either performer but they work seamlessly together. Loved it!